Vehicle wash facilities are generally known to have dark and dirty environments, which can make them unattractive to customers and potential customers. This environment results, in part, from the fact that current rotary brush components typically employ a cylindrical central hub design that is densely populated with a plurality of washing elements such that the hub is not visible either at rest or during operation. This densely populated hub also serves to block a great deal of light to a vehicle occupant as the wash component approaches the vehicle during the vehicle wash process due to the large volume of the washing elements. This can result in a significant darkening of the vehicle interior and an unpleasant wash experience for the vehicle occupant. Combine this darkness with windshields and side windows that are often covered with soapy water and visibility for vehicle occupants within current vehicle wash facilities is very low.
Consequently, some wash owners have made an attempt to brighten this environment and enhance a user's wash experience though the use of lighted arches and signs, to create somewhat of a “carnival” feel. Many vehicle wash facilities also employ lights and lighted signs as a way to advertise extra wash services like tire shine, sealer wax, and triple foam as well as to drive traffic to and create more revenue for their vehicle wash facility. While these lighted arches and lighted signs may be effective in drawing consumer attention to the wash or these extra services they offer, the lighting is very selective and does little to improve the overall environment within the vehicle wash facility. Moreover, because of the configuration of existing rotary brush components, which block a vehicle occupant from seeing these lights during the vehicle wash process as well as the low visibility in existing washes, these lights cannot be seen by vehicle occupants during the vehicle wash process. As such, these lights therefore do not assist in making the vehicle wash process less intimidating.
Another disadvantage of current vehicle wash configurations is that they share a largely similar, utilitarian appearance that makes it correspondingly difficult for wash owners to provide a distinctive or memorable service offering to their customers. Lighted arches and signs do little to overcome this problem as any attempted branding created thereby is obstructed to vehicle occupants during the wash process, as discussed above.
It would thus be desirable to provide a vehicle wash component that addresses these issues.